nexguy66 wrote:Not that it matters much but how long do you think Sid will wear the protective mask? Another week or two? Through playoffs no matter the length?

He can only wear it as long as the NHL allows it. Full shields, cages, and jaw protectors are illegal by NHL rules except when the players is recovering from a facial injury; as soon as they say Crosby could play without it, he'll have to.

Yep. And you can bet Sid will dump will that thing as soon as he's medically cleared to do it. My baseless speculation is that he'll need it until (hopefully) June.

It's Sid, so the adjustment period shouldn't be long. Just great to see him skating with the boys. Maybe not Game 1, but he'll play in Round 1.

nexguy66 wrote:Not that it matters much but how long do you think Sid will wear the protective mask? Another week or two? Through playoffs no matter the length?

He can only wear it as long as the NHL allows it. Full shields, cages, and jaw protectors are illegal by NHL rules except when the players is recovering from a facial injury; as soon as they say Crosby could play without it, he'll have to.

What's the league going to do? Send their docs to see if he can play without it? if he wants to wear it through the playoffs, I have trouble believing the league will say anything about it

You're right. The league can't do anything about it. But I'm sure Sid's gonna rip that thing off as soon as the docs tell him he can. He, unsurprisingly, hates it according to DK (has trouble seeing and breathing).

nexguy66 wrote:Not that it matters much but how long do you think Sid will wear the protective mask? Another week or two? Through playoffs no matter the length?

He can only wear it as long as the NHL allows it. Full shields, cages, and jaw protectors are illegal by NHL rules except when the players is recovering from a facial injury; as soon as they say Crosby could play without it, he'll have to.

What's the league going to do? Send their docs to see if he can play without it? if he wants to wear it through the playoffs, I have trouble believing the league will say anything about it

You're right. The league can't do anything about it. But I'm sure Sid's gonna rip that thing off as soon as the docs tell him he can. He, unsurprisingly, hates it according to DK (has trouble seeing and breathing).

The conversation would go something like this I imagine:

[Start scene with penguins meeting with NHL doctor][NHL doctor grabs Iginla]NHL doctor: Tell me about Crosby! Why does he still wear the mask? [silence]NHL doctor: A lot of loyalty, for a hired gun![moves on to Crosby]Crosby: No one cared who I was until I put on the mask.NHL doctor: If I force you to take that off, would you still be able to play?Crosby: It would be extremely painful.NHL doctor: You're a big guy!Crosby: For you.[End scene]

nexguy66 wrote:Not that it matters much but how long do you think Sid will wear the protective mask? Another week or two? Through playoffs no matter the length?

He can only wear it as long as the NHL allows it. Full shields, cages, and jaw protectors are illegal by NHL rules except when the players is recovering from a facial injury; as soon as they say Crosby could play without it, he'll have to.

What's the league going to do? Send their docs to see if he can play without it? if he wants to wear it through the playoffs, I have trouble believing the league will say anything about it

You're right. The league can't do anything about it. But I'm sure Sid's gonna rip that thing off as soon as the docs tell him he can. He, unsurprisingly, hates it according to DK (has trouble seeing and breathing).

The conversation would go something like this I imagine:

[Start scene with penguins meeting with NHL doctor][NHL doctor grabs Iginla]NHL doctor: Tell me about Crosby! Why does he still wear the mask? [silence]NHL doctor: A lot of loyalty, for a hired gun![moves on to Crosby]Crosby: No one cared who I was until I put on the mask.NHL doctor: If I force you to take that off, would you still be able to play?Crosby: It would be extremely painful.NHL doctor: You're a big guy!Crosby: For you.[End scene]

JoseCuervo wrote:Quincey has been wearing his cage for about a month now, right?

I'm fairly certain he can play without it, but he still is.

Like the Pistons' (or wherever he is now--I can't keep track because I don't really follow the NBA) Richard Hamilton, who hasn't needed his mask for a decade but still wears it--a security blanket, maybe.

Sid may want to take it off...but what if he has a scoring streak going? He will leave it on for forever and not change his socks!

Seriously though, we hear stories about Sid being superstitious...it clearly isn't working out for him health wise. Switch it up, man. Wear different colored socks and only shave half of your face or something. Anything to stay healthy!

Jergens? I don't get it. Then again I'm not very active here anymore so I'm losing some of the jokes =)

No, no inside joke. Think general juvenile humor.

Taking nothing away from the joke, which was perfect.

As for what it means to Sid, I bet it means more than he will let on. He's uber-competitive at everything he does. He hates losing. That said, I'm sure he'll get over it quickly as there are plenty more trophies to win.